Return to Cutter Gap
by Torie46
Summary: I love the idea of Neil and Margaret having children and I have been thinking of a story along those lines for 13 or 14 years so please read and tell me what you think.
1. Chapter 1

Return to Cutter Gap

**A/N: **I love the idea of Neil and Margaret having children before she pretended to die in the show so here are my ideas regarding the daughter they had Lydia MacNeill. I have been thinking about this for years since I saw the episode "Amazing Grace" when I was 14 or 15.

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Lydia MacNeill wrapped her arms around herself as she followed her mother, Margaret, into Cutter Gap. In the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee it was starting to get cold. Lydia wished her coat was warmer, but it wasn't.

Lydia knew that complaining to her mother was no good. Margaret MacNeill wasn't a good mother. She was not even willing to try being a mother. She could care less of Lydia was cold or hungry. Lydia was like the girl Sara Crewe in the book "_A Little Princess_." Any kindness and love her mother could have shown her, Lydia would have paid for. Lydia had spent a good deal of her life raising herself since her mother wouldn't do it.

A lot of people said that Lydia wasn't beautiful, but she had a personality and smile that made people look at her again. Then people said she was beautiful. Lydia pushed her light brown hair back carefully. Lydia was meticulous with how she looked. A hair couldn't be out of place for her. It had to be perfect.

Lydia's legs ached when they reached the Mission that her grandmother ran. Margaret hesitated slightly at the bridge. "Aren't we going in?" Lydia asked boldly. To ask her mother a question usually got her face slapped. Margaret preferred that Lydia never talked to her. Lydia reminded Margaret of Lydia's father, Neil NacNeill.

"I don't know," Margaret said reluctantly. Lydia breathed a silent prayer of thanks to Heaven. Her mother was too upset to strike her. Of course her mother would have slapped her if she had seen her praying. Margaret acted as if she hated God, though Lydia didn't know why. Lydia had found God last year and loved Him. Her faith made it hard to believe that anyone could hate God, who loved everyone unconditionally.

"Christy?" A very proper voice asked. Both Margaret and Lydia turned to look at the person who joined them. She was an elder woman with burnished chestnut locks that were pulled back in a braid. Because it was dark Lydia couldn't see her eyes that well. She was plump from weight and it made her look cheerful. The woman gasped in shock as her eyes met Margaret's.

"It's really me, Mother," Margaret said, a lukewarm smile on her face. Lydia's grandmother looked shocked as she looked at Lydia's mother and then at Lydia. Lydia tried to smile warmly at her grandmother. The woman was shocked and Lydia couldn't blame her in the slightest particle.

"Mother, I want you to meet my daughter, Lydia," Margaret said, pretending an affectionate look at Lydia. Only Lydia knew that her mother couldn't stand the sight of her.

Lydia looked at her grandmother. A teary look was in her eyes as she hugged Lydia tightly. "Thee is so beautiful, child," Alice Henderson said, holding Lydia at arm's length.

"Thank you. No one's ever said that to me before," Lydia said in surprise.

"Why don't the two of thee come with me?" Alice asked, taking Lydia and Margaret's hands and leading them into the huge Mission house.

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The warm air brought tears to Lydia's eyes as it hit her in the face. After walking in the cold for so long the warm air hurt. Alice led them to a sparse bedroom and shut the door.

"So much has changed. I don't know where to begin. Thee probably noticed the new church and school building. Everyone is so proud. And we have a new telephone line to El Pano station. Maybe you noticed it downstairs. Telephone in Cutter Gap of all places. I had almost forgotten how thy hair shines so," Alice said, reaching out to touch Margaret's dark hair as she removed her gloves and scarf.

Lydia's own hair shone also. When the light hit at the right time it was almost reddish. It was also another reason why her mother didn't love her. Her hair and most of her looks came from her father.

"It is a miracle," Alice said. Lydia didn't know about that. To her grandmother it might have been a miracle, but knowing her mother she was going to hurt someone. She always did.

"My faith deserted me. I could never allow myself to believe that thee and Lydia might be alive," Alice said, putting something on her night table and turning back to Margaret.

"You knew about me?" Lydia asked, finding her voice.

"Of course, Child. You were about to be born when- and when they couldn't find thee and Neil kept searching and searching, it was I who told him to give it up. Neil…has thee…you have his daughter," Alice said in surprise.

"We wanted to see you first. May we stay here tonight? We'll sleep on the floor," Margaret said, smiling uncomfortably. For some reason she didn't want to see Lydia's father.

"I sleep on the floor whenever I travels. I'm accustomed to it," Alice said, taking a pillow off the bed.

"I'm sorry," Margaret said, turning back to her mother.

"It's just I am so happy to see thee and my granddaughter," Alice said, fixing the bed for Margaret and Lydia.

"Mother, I need to explain," Margaret said in a shaky voice.

"No, not now," Alice said quickly.

Judging from the strike of a match Margaret had lit one of her cigarettes. Lydia hated cigarettes and she had unwisely told her mother that it was a disgusting habit once. Her mother had beat her so hard she limped for a week.

"Yes, I do. Please don't stop me while I have the nerve. It was an ugly thing to do. Allowing you to think we were dead. I know how much that must have hurt you, but I just had to get away from here," Margaret said. Lydia felt like rolling her eyes. It was a pity story plain and simple. Alice looked at her daughter, believing it.

"I did think of writing so many times," Margaret said, taking a deep drag on her cigarette.

"Why did thee not?" Alice whispered, anguished.

"I knew you would come looking for us. It was easier if everyone believed we had drowned," Margaret said, taking another drag of her cigarette.

"It was never easy," Alice said, looking at the ground. Margaret then started to cough.

"Margaret?" Alice asked, a concerned look in her eyes.

"I'm fine. These darn things," Margaret said shortly. Alice took the cigarette out of her hand and put it in the full water pitcher.

"How has thee come here?" Alice asked, changing the subject.

"Teddy. Um, Theodore Harland. I made him hide the wagon down the road. I saw the Mission and I just needed some time. I wanted to make sure that we could do this. Face you again," Margaret said uncomfortably. Alice looked just as uncomfortable.

"Teddy's from Atlanta. That's where we've been. Atlanta. City suits me. Don't you think?" Margaret asked, showing off her clothes.

Lydia resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. She was, in her mother's opinion, more like her grandmother and dressed simply. Like the cigarettes, she didn't like her mother's clothes. They were too gaudy and neither did her grandmother, judging by the look on her face.

"Oh, but you never approved of my clothes. Did you?" Margaret asked, her face falling.

"None of that matters. Thy light has come back into my life," Alice said. Alice said it didn't matter, but all three knew that it did.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two-

Lydia was an early riser. The next morning she slipped out of the warm bed she shared with Margaret and dressed in the predawn chill. She put her coat on over her blue blouse and light brown rumpled skirt.

She walked all the way to the church and proceeded to start her morning devotions in the book of Isaiah and sing her praise to God.

Lydia walked back to the mission, the strains of the Moonlight Sonata being heard. Lydia walked into the mission as Mr. Harland, her mother's friend, stopped playing and a young girl, not much older than Lydia, came down the stairs.

"A vision of loveliness. What a better way to start the day?" Harland asked, causing Lydia to roll her eyes. Harland always flirted like this. It was rather disgusting.

"Is Miss Alice here? I thought I heard her," the girl asked, smiling.

"No. You probably heard me when I got up," Lydia said softly.

"No, I'm afraid not. I was forced to breakfast alone. And Ruby Mae's cooking does leave a bit to be desired," Harland said. The girl and Lydia tuned as Margaret and Alice entered the room.

Lydia hoped her mother didn't ask where she'd been. Lydia was in no mood for a slapping because of her quiet moments with God. It was bad enough that she was wearing that garish hat of hers.

"Miss Huddleston? This is my daughter, Margaret, and my granddaughter, Lydia," Alice said, introducing Margaret and Lydia. While Lydia tried to look friendly, her mother pasted a fake smile on.

The room was silent as Miss Huddleston looked shocked. "Mother's not introducing us because we already know each other," Margaret said, sitting next to Harland, a flirtatious look on her face.

Lydia refrained from saying anything. She could think of a couple of the 10 Commandments that her mother had broken; adultery being very high on the list. And Mr. Harland encouraged it!

"I am most grateful to your daughter for having brought me here and I'm certain that this trip is going to be far more valuable than what I paid her. In spiritual terms, of course," Harland said quickly when he saw the look on Alice's face.

"And you must be the teacher," Margaret said, looking at the young girl next to Lydia.

"I'm pleased to meet you," Miss Huddleston said, a strained look on her face. She turned to look at Alice. "I don't understand," Miss Huddleston whispered in shock.

"Oh, it's a terribly long story, but I'm sure Mother will catch you up," Margaret said before Alice could say anything. Mr. Harland lit her cigarette for her. "Do you know they approached me to be a teacher? Can you imagine me running after all those little ones?" Margaret asked in a laughing, snide way. It was an insulting slap in Lydia's grandmother's face. They all stood there in uncomfortable silence. One that didn't last long.

"You're so young. Not too many years older than my own daughter. How do they expect someone to teach about life when they haven't even lived it?" Margaret asked, insulting Miss Huddleston.

"The children here are especially fond of Miss Huddleston. And she of them," Alice said, trying to sound cheerful and smiling with no success.

"Well, I'm sure you're probably far better at it than I would ever be. Lord knows they need something around here to keep them busy," Margaret said lazily.

"Everyone knows you wouldn't help keep them busy," Lydia said in a mutter, her tongue finally getting the best of her.

"Excuse me?" Margaret asked in surprise, turning her attention to Lydia.

"You heard me. Everyone works hard while you sit there on your blessed assurance, breaking all of the 10 Commandments at once," Lydia said, her voice hard.

Margaret stood to her feet, looking as if she were going to throttle Lydia. "Has anyone sent for your husband?" Miss Huddleston asked, switching Margaret's ire from Lydia to Miss Huddleston.

"I'll look after my own affairs, thank you. I am sure you'll have your hands full with the children," Margaret said tightly as she turned her back on Alice, Lydia, and Christy and Harland resumed his piano playing.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&Lydia, Alice and Christy went into the kitchen, a stunned silence between them. "I apologize, Miss Huddleston, for my mother's behavior. She had no right to treat you like that," Lydia said, pumping herself a glass of water.

"You don't have to apologize for her. I should never have asked about your father," Miss Huddleston lamented.

"I'm glad you did. What is my father like? I've only heard one version of him. My mother's and it's not good," Lydia said, changing the subject.

"He's a wonderful man, thy father. Thee looks like him," Alice said, raising her granddaughter's chin slightly.

"Do you think he'll want to meet me, Grandmother?" Lydia asked.

"I would think so, Child. You are his daughter," Alice said, tenderly stroking Lydia's face. Lydia hoped her grandmother was right. It would be horrible if her father shunned her because of Margaret.

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It was late in the afternoon when Lydia stepped onto the porch of the Mission. She had sat in on Christy and Reverend Grantland's school day, wondering how the mountain children got taught. Of course she was a curiosity. The older girls, Ruby Mae Morrison, Lizette Holcombe, and Bessie Coburn marveled at her clothes and hair. The older boys her age stared at her as if she was beautiful and the little boys and girls all wanted to sit next to her. Especially a little girl named Mountie O'Teale. The children grew to like her more when they realized who her father was.

Lydia watched as Christy and Mr. Harland rode away. Mr. Harland was going to meet Hattie McCabe, a song singer in the cove and Lydia's aunt on her father's side. Lydia had decided to go this morning with them, but after playing with the children at the school she was tired and decided against going.

"This is very kind of you. I'm most grateful for the escort," Mr. Harland said.

"Miss Hattie's cabin is hard to find. I only happened upon it by accident," Miss Huddleston said. The conversation was stopped abruptly as a man on a black horse came riding into the Mission yard, an angry look on his face.

"Where is she?" The man yelled in a Scottish accent. He dismounted and looked first at Margaret and then Lydia. Lydia shrank slightly under her father's angry look. The man probably had a worse temper than her mother.

Her mother walked toward him. I know this must be a shock-"Margaret started to say.

"Don't you dare! Only you could do something this hateful. You stole my daughter and let me think you were both dead. You are dead to me, Woman," her father said, shaking Margaret by the shoulders.

"Neil-"Margaret started again.

"You are dead! I'm taking my daughter. I never want to see you again!" Neil shouted, grabbing Lydia by the wrist and gripping it so tightly she winced with pain. Her mother and grandmother didn't stop him as he stomped across the yard to his horse.

Neil got into his saddle and pulled Lydia up behind him. Lydia wrapped her arms around his waist, having the good sense not to say anything to him while he was this angry.


End file.
